BattleTech, page 16
Sumiko gestured to the guard behind her as she spoke again. “The inoculations. You have six to give out. You need to test at least three of them on people already showing symptoms. We don’t know if it will work or not, but lab conditions say that it will help or heal seventy percent of the infected on average.”
The guard handed a small, insulated bag to Hayton. She put it over her shoulder. “How does it need to be stored? Cold? Room temperature?”
“Ambient cool temperatures are best. It doesn’t need to be frozen. It’s not dangerous. But it should remain cool.” Sumiko shook her head. “I should be there to see the results myself.”
Hayton eyed her. “And see the results of your plague?”
Sumiko didn’t flinch. “I know intimately what my work can do.”
Fume was proud of her friend, but knew this was a path neither of them wanted to tread. She brought everyone’s attention back to her. “What else do you need to know? You have my undivided attention while everyone makes certain that the inoculations are what we say they are.” She paused. “Perhaps you want to draw blood from the cadets in an hour to see what is happening within?”
Roux nodded. “A good idea. How many soldiers do you have on the planet? How many ’Mechs?”
Fume thought for a moment. “The last time I had access to that information, we still had four ’Mechs on the planet and two in the Fujinami. As for troops…” She shook her head. “That wasn’t my area. Also, with the shelling and the plague, Yoshizawa has killed as many of our people as he has yours. There can’t be more than….” She shook her head again. “I don’t know. I can’t even pretend to know.”
Hayton moved away from Sumiko. “What about vehicles, tanks, and missile carriers?”
“Ah, I believe we had four hovertanks on the ground. Good for intimidation in places we don’t have ’Mechs.” Fume nodded. “We requisitioned other ground vehicles from the population, though the Emporian military fought us. Your military is small, but it is fierce. I suppose that comes from being a border planet. Luckily, most of your leadership was killed in the first bombing.” She frowned. “Then again, several of our leaders were killed, too.”
Roux crossed, then uncrossed her arms. “Who else knows you’re here?”
Fume thought the question over, looking at it from multiple directions. It was a simple question, but too generic. Finally, she said, “I don’t understand the question.”
“Who knows? Did you manage to sneak away? Did you come here willingly? Or are you two sacrifices in a strategy we don’t yet understand? Is the Endeavor’s Run going to be attacked soon?”
Fume understood. The cadet wanted to understand their motivations. That was something she couldn’t put into words. She answered the one question she could. “We can’t attack. The DropShip crash took out all but one aerospace fighter—the one we flew here. It also killed our tai-sho’s messenger, who was Yoshizawa’s lover. She had been our last hope to get reinforcements. Was that your fault?”
Roux looked away toward the fighter-bay door. “No. We stowed away on a DropShip, trying to get the word out about all this. The captain caught us and shoved us into the escape pods.” She paused. “I blacked out when we were ejected. I never saw the DropShip accident.”
Such careful words. Fume was certain the cadet was lying. She understood why, and wondered if it was something she could use in the future. Tucking the information away, she nodded. “It pushed Yoshizawa over the edge. We lost so much in that…accident.”
Roux turned away from them and faced the escape pods. “I can’t think of anything else we need to talk about. I think we should get into the escape pods and make sure everything is in place.”
Smart girl, Fume thought. Realized you might give too much away the longer we talk. “Just remember,” she said, “You are his weakness. Use that information as you see fit. And if you have any more questions, I’m sure the captain will be happy to patch you through to our temporary jail cells.”
Roux turned back and nodded. “Thank you.”
Silence reigned as Sumiko and Fume were escorted to their “cells.” Fume watched from her own cell as Roux and Hayton entered the third escape pod. Part of her wanted them to succeed. Part of her hated every molecule the cadets were made of.
The largest part of her stayed focused on why she and Sumiko had done this: Yoshizawa had betrayed the DCMS and the Seventh Ghost Regiment and everything they’d stood for.
23
ON THE ROAD TO THE STAG’S HEAD FOOTHILLS
EMPORIA
FEDERATED SUNS
18 APRIL 3150
OPERATION BARBICAN, T-MINUS 11 HOURS
Jasper didn’t want to admit it, but he enjoyed every second of piloting the Awesome. It was even better than the Ostsol. There was something about the assault ’Mech that made him feel powerful. Like he could take on the world. He knew it for the dangerous feeling it was, but reveled in it anyway.
The whole time he enjoyed it, he also waited for the other shoe to drop. Anytime he’d begun to feel good or hopeful, something bad had happened. That was the way of the world right now.
As if on cue, Michael broke radio silence. “Commander, there’s something blocking the road up here. Stacks of trees that need to be cleared.”
Delany’s response was immediate. “Disengage and return to the convoy. Everyone, tighten up on the main convoy.”
“Roger that.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Acknowledged.” Jasper added his voice to the rest. It’s what he would’ve done. Though Michael’s Locust was fast, it was light and vulnerable. It could be taken out with a concentrated effort by infantry or combat vehicles. Better to have it with the main group and let the heavier ’Mechs deal with the enemy, if there were any.
“Not seeing any enemy ’Mechs on the sensors,” Tilda radioed as she moved her Catapult up from the rear. “No suspicious heat sources either.”
Delany radioed both the fleet and the lance. “Everyone, be on the lookout. We’ve got a blockage in the road. Could’ve been done by friendlies against the enemy. Could be an ambush attempt. Half-speed. Once we get there, we’ll assess the situation.”
Seconds ticked by like minutes as the group moved up on the road until they could see the pile of trees blocking the road. Jasper eyed the mound. It could be dealt with destructively—which would be a waste of ammo—or slowly, which would put everyone at risk. He’d just decided that setting the whole thing on fire might be the best course of action when Michael spoke again.
“I’ve got movement to both sides in the forest. People. No vehicles.”
Delany responded. “I see them. Wait until we see who they are. Could be our people.”
Jasper hoped like hell they were Emporians. For the enemy to attack a convoy like this with just infantry meant they were either desperate or suicidal. Neither option was ideal. Especially with that scared soldier’s sweaty, tear-stained face haunting him.
The entire convoy approached the blockade in slow motion.
Then two figures popped up from the top of the barrier of trees. Both of them had shoulder-mounted missile launchers. At the same time, a couple dozen screaming enemy soldiers came running out of the forest on either side of them.
The Rifleman’s rotary autocannons made mincemeat of the blockade, the enemy soldiers, and their missile launchers. At the same time Delany attacked, both Ruby’s Commando and Michael’s Locust took evasive action, firing their lasers at the soldiers that attempted to climb their legs.
Both missiles from the shoulder-mounted launchers struck the Awesome, jarring Jasper from the left, then right. Neither missile did appreciable damage. He didn’t fire. Instead, he watched his sensors and the battlefield, looking to see if the enemy had held anything in reserve.
They had.
While enemy infantry screamed and died around them, a small hovertank came to life on Jasper’s sensors. He radioed Delany, “Incoming hovertank. I’ll take it out.”
“Do it, Roux.”
That was all the urging he needed. Already his Streak SRMs calculated their launch path. As soon as his crosshairs went green, he fired. One volley from each launcher as he kept in mind how limited his physical ammunition was.
Every single missile struck true. The light hovertank shuddered to a violent, braking stop.
Jasper stomped through the battle and into the forest, getting the hovertank in sight. It must’ve already been damaged and out, or almost out of, ammo. The vehicle burned as shadows of the enemy flailed about. Shoving the image of the enemy soldier’s face away, he turned his medium pulse laser on the hovertank’s windshield and finished what his missiles had started.
Another burst from the Rifleman’s rotary autocannons heralded the revelation of a second combat vehicle. It exploded even as Jasper scanned his sensors to discover the wreckage of an armored combat car with a turret-mounted weapon that was no longer viable.
Shaking his head, he couldn’t understand why the enemy would attack such a well-armored convoy. He didn’t join in as the Commando, Locust, and a dozen Ritza Academy cadets made short work of the enemy soldiers. Instead, he remained on sentry, looking for something to explain the senselessness of it all.
Fynn’s voice came over the radio. “We have them. Permission to clean up?”
Delany paused before asking, “What do you mean when you say ‘clean up’?”
“Make sure the downed are dead and that nothing will come after us from the rear.”
“Permission granted. You have fifteen minutes. In the meantime, Ufford and Roux, clear the rest of that barrier away. Bohemain, take sentry.”
Jasper frowned at that. He quickly typed his concern to Delany:
Her answer was swift and brutal.
He wanted to argue, but he didn’t have anything to fight with. Every word she said was true. After a moment, he typed,
She didn’t respond.
Jasper didn’t want to think about his classmates getting out of their vehicles to hunt down and execute the enemy soldiers. With Delany’s perspective in mind, however, he knew it had to be done. They didn’t have the manpower or resources to take anyone prisoner, much less keep them in a safe place where they couldn’t hurt anyone else.
The worst thing in the world could be failing to get to the Ritzas or the evac point because they hadn’t done their due diligence. The only thing worse than being ambushed by enemy soldiers was losing track of the survivors. But, again, he didn’t want to think about how up close and personal it all was.
“Roux, do a shuffle through the middle of it. See how much that assault ’Mech of yours can move out of the way.”
Thankful for the request, he radioed back, “Roger that, Commando.”
He approached the barrier at a slow pace. If the thing had been rigged to blow, it would’ve happened when Delany fired on it. Dragging his ’Mech’s feet, he pushed through the wooden debris. Most of it moved without hesitation. As he did, the Commando used its grasping hands to pull the bigger pieces off to the sides. Within minutes, the road was clear enough for the convoy to continue.
As he reported in to Delany, he saw the infantry cadets moving through the cars and trees, taking measured shots at enemy soldiers who stopped moving. It was a kindness to the enemy. Rather than allowing them to linger, wounded and in pain, the cadets ended that pain at the same time they removed any threat of the enemy following.
Still, Jasper knew he was going to be haunted by this—and that face—for years to come.
His comms came to life again as Delany commanded, “Lance, report in.”
“Road cleared. Commando undamaged,” Ruby said.
“Road cleared. Awesome sustained negligible damage,” Jasper radioed.
“On sentry. All clear. Catapult undamaged.”
Michael rounded it out. “Locust, on patrol, all clear. Undamaged.”
“Good,” Delany said. “Fynn. Status?”
“Cleanup almost done. One vehicle needs a tire change. Ten minutes max.”
“Acknowledged. Wrap it up as fast as you can.”
Jasper knew Delany felt antsy. He could hear it in her voice. He felt it, too, like things were coming to a head. Scanning his sensors again, he looked for an enemy he expected, but didn’t find.
The orbital channel beeped at him.
It must have beeped at all of them, because Delany said, “Roux, answer that. Then get back to me on what it is.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jasper flipped his comm channels and completed the connection with the Endeavor’s Run. “This is Cadet Roux.”
“Fancy that. This is also Cadet Roux.”
Two conflicting emotions immediately collided: pleasure at hearing his sister alive and well, and worry that she was calling him. A thousand things cascaded through his mind at what could’ve gone wrong. First and foremost was her telling him the DropShip wasn’t coming.
“Nadine! Anything wrong?”
“No. Nothing like that. But there’s a change in our plans.”
He would’ve put his face in his hands if he hadn’t been wearing the neurohelmet. “Okay…?”
“Who has the radio?”
“Pascal Cole and Hugh Salter are manning it.”
“Right. We shouldn’t have to use it again, but it’s good to know where it is. How’s the convoy?”
Jasper looked around at the death and destruction then lied, “You caught us at a brief break. About halfway there. Another one and a half to two hours. Assuming nothing goes wrong. Then we’ll gather up the Ritzas. Why?”
“Well, it looks like you’re gonna have two more people to pick up.”
“Who? Where? When?” He tried to keep his voice neutral, but he didn’t like changes in the middle of an operation. Of course, there were always changes. That was the nature of the beast. It didn’t mean he had to like it.
“Me and Lyric.”
Jasper blinked a couple of times. Again, too many questions crowded in a train wreck of emotions—none of which he could express. Part of him hoped he’d misunderstood what she’d just said. “Please repeat that.”
She sighed and said, “Lyric and I are going to meet you at the Ritzas’ rendezvous point—assuming all goes well. We’re returning to the planet in an escape pod. If we don’t land near enough to make it there on foot, we’ll need a pickup. We have communications and will be able to stay in touch with you.”
“Is…is that wise?”
“Love you too, bro.”
Irritation warred with worry. “No. I mean, you haven’t been exposed to the virus here. People are sick and dying. Elias…” He stopped, unable to continue.
“It may not be wise, but it’s necessary. We’re carrying a vaccine for the virus.” She paused. “We’re also testing it.”
There were ten thousand things he could say to that—none of them complimentary. However, he knew his sister. If she was doing this to test the vaccine, she was doing it to see if she could help save the planet and the Ritza family. He smiled so she could hear it in his voice even if it was strained. “Throwing yourself into danger for the good of all, yeah?”
“Yeah. Just like you. What a pair we make.” He could hear her returned smile. “Heroism must be in our DNA. Or something like that.”
“All right. You’re planning to land near the t-intersection in a couple of hours. How long from launch to touchdown?”
There was a pause. “Not that long. It depends on our location, the planet’s rotation, and such. Guesstimate? Less than an hour.”
“I shouldn’t ask this but, out of morbid curiosity, how are you going to steer the escape pod?”
“I’m not. The Endeavor’s Run is going to program in the landing spot. We’ll get there, or near to it in the grand scheme of things.”
Jasper thought about that. “All right. Do I keep the vaccine a secret?”
“Ah. Tell your commanding officer? I mean, it’s not secret, but it’s extremely limited, and we don’t even know if it works. I mean…you’re not sick, are you?”
“No.”
“So…yeah.”
The Rifleman walked over to him until he could see Delany through the ’Mech’s canopy. She tapped her wrist. He gave her an exaggerated nod.
“Okay. So, you’re going to land near the rendezvous site in about an hour. You’re going to ping me when you launch, then comm me when you land. Is that right?”
“Yeah. It is.”
“Anything else I need to know?”
“Yeah. Love you, Jasper. Let’s hope all this works.”
Jasper’s heart cracked into several thousand pieces. How many times was he going to tell her goodbye and honestly believe it was probably for the last time? “Love you, Nadine. You make it work. I’ll see you soon. That’s an order.”
“I’ll do my best. I promise.”
Jasper grimaced, then remembered Delany was watching him through the faceplate. He didn’t want her to worry. “Me, too. Over and out.”
In his mind’s eye, he could see his sister with a brave smile on her face and fear hidden in her eyes. It was a look he often saw a long time ago. Now he could feel it mirrored on his own face. The more things change, the more they stayed the same.
Shifting his radio over to the private channel he and Delany shared, he said. “Well, I’ve got some good news and some other news. I won’t call it bad news, but it’s going to change a couple of things for me as we get close to the t-intersection…if you allow it.”
“We’ll burn that bridge when we come to it. Let’s talk on the road.”
24
OKINAWA-CLASS DROPSHIP ENDEAVOR’S RUN
LOW ORBIT, EMPORIA
FEDERATED SUNS
18 APRIL 3150
OPERATION BARBICAN, T-MINUS 10 HOURS
The guard handed a small, insulated bag to Hayton. She put it over her shoulder. “How does it need to be stored? Cold? Room temperature?”
“Ambient cool temperatures are best. It doesn’t need to be frozen. It’s not dangerous. But it should remain cool.” Sumiko shook her head. “I should be there to see the results myself.”
Hayton eyed her. “And see the results of your plague?”
Sumiko didn’t flinch. “I know intimately what my work can do.”
Fume was proud of her friend, but knew this was a path neither of them wanted to tread. She brought everyone’s attention back to her. “What else do you need to know? You have my undivided attention while everyone makes certain that the inoculations are what we say they are.” She paused. “Perhaps you want to draw blood from the cadets in an hour to see what is happening within?”
Roux nodded. “A good idea. How many soldiers do you have on the planet? How many ’Mechs?”
Fume thought for a moment. “The last time I had access to that information, we still had four ’Mechs on the planet and two in the Fujinami. As for troops…” She shook her head. “That wasn’t my area. Also, with the shelling and the plague, Yoshizawa has killed as many of our people as he has yours. There can’t be more than….” She shook her head again. “I don’t know. I can’t even pretend to know.”
Hayton moved away from Sumiko. “What about vehicles, tanks, and missile carriers?”
“Ah, I believe we had four hovertanks on the ground. Good for intimidation in places we don’t have ’Mechs.” Fume nodded. “We requisitioned other ground vehicles from the population, though the Emporian military fought us. Your military is small, but it is fierce. I suppose that comes from being a border planet. Luckily, most of your leadership was killed in the first bombing.” She frowned. “Then again, several of our leaders were killed, too.”
Roux crossed, then uncrossed her arms. “Who else knows you’re here?”
Fume thought the question over, looking at it from multiple directions. It was a simple question, but too generic. Finally, she said, “I don’t understand the question.”
“Who knows? Did you manage to sneak away? Did you come here willingly? Or are you two sacrifices in a strategy we don’t yet understand? Is the Endeavor’s Run going to be attacked soon?”
Fume understood. The cadet wanted to understand their motivations. That was something she couldn’t put into words. She answered the one question she could. “We can’t attack. The DropShip crash took out all but one aerospace fighter—the one we flew here. It also killed our tai-sho’s messenger, who was Yoshizawa’s lover. She had been our last hope to get reinforcements. Was that your fault?”
Roux looked away toward the fighter-bay door. “No. We stowed away on a DropShip, trying to get the word out about all this. The captain caught us and shoved us into the escape pods.” She paused. “I blacked out when we were ejected. I never saw the DropShip accident.”
Such careful words. Fume was certain the cadet was lying. She understood why, and wondered if it was something she could use in the future. Tucking the information away, she nodded. “It pushed Yoshizawa over the edge. We lost so much in that…accident.”
Roux turned away from them and faced the escape pods. “I can’t think of anything else we need to talk about. I think we should get into the escape pods and make sure everything is in place.”
Smart girl, Fume thought. Realized you might give too much away the longer we talk. “Just remember,” she said, “You are his weakness. Use that information as you see fit. And if you have any more questions, I’m sure the captain will be happy to patch you through to our temporary jail cells.”
Roux turned back and nodded. “Thank you.”
Silence reigned as Sumiko and Fume were escorted to their “cells.” Fume watched from her own cell as Roux and Hayton entered the third escape pod. Part of her wanted them to succeed. Part of her hated every molecule the cadets were made of.
The largest part of her stayed focused on why she and Sumiko had done this: Yoshizawa had betrayed the DCMS and the Seventh Ghost Regiment and everything they’d stood for.
23
ON THE ROAD TO THE STAG’S HEAD FOOTHILLS
EMPORIA
FEDERATED SUNS
18 APRIL 3150
OPERATION BARBICAN, T-MINUS 11 HOURS
Jasper didn’t want to admit it, but he enjoyed every second of piloting the Awesome. It was even better than the Ostsol. There was something about the assault ’Mech that made him feel powerful. Like he could take on the world. He knew it for the dangerous feeling it was, but reveled in it anyway.
The whole time he enjoyed it, he also waited for the other shoe to drop. Anytime he’d begun to feel good or hopeful, something bad had happened. That was the way of the world right now.
As if on cue, Michael broke radio silence. “Commander, there’s something blocking the road up here. Stacks of trees that need to be cleared.”
Delany’s response was immediate. “Disengage and return to the convoy. Everyone, tighten up on the main convoy.”
“Roger that.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Acknowledged.” Jasper added his voice to the rest. It’s what he would’ve done. Though Michael’s Locust was fast, it was light and vulnerable. It could be taken out with a concentrated effort by infantry or combat vehicles. Better to have it with the main group and let the heavier ’Mechs deal with the enemy, if there were any.
“Not seeing any enemy ’Mechs on the sensors,” Tilda radioed as she moved her Catapult up from the rear. “No suspicious heat sources either.”
Delany radioed both the fleet and the lance. “Everyone, be on the lookout. We’ve got a blockage in the road. Could’ve been done by friendlies against the enemy. Could be an ambush attempt. Half-speed. Once we get there, we’ll assess the situation.”
Seconds ticked by like minutes as the group moved up on the road until they could see the pile of trees blocking the road. Jasper eyed the mound. It could be dealt with destructively—which would be a waste of ammo—or slowly, which would put everyone at risk. He’d just decided that setting the whole thing on fire might be the best course of action when Michael spoke again.
“I’ve got movement to both sides in the forest. People. No vehicles.”
Delany responded. “I see them. Wait until we see who they are. Could be our people.”
Jasper hoped like hell they were Emporians. For the enemy to attack a convoy like this with just infantry meant they were either desperate or suicidal. Neither option was ideal. Especially with that scared soldier’s sweaty, tear-stained face haunting him.
The entire convoy approached the blockade in slow motion.
Then two figures popped up from the top of the barrier of trees. Both of them had shoulder-mounted missile launchers. At the same time, a couple dozen screaming enemy soldiers came running out of the forest on either side of them.
The Rifleman’s rotary autocannons made mincemeat of the blockade, the enemy soldiers, and their missile launchers. At the same time Delany attacked, both Ruby’s Commando and Michael’s Locust took evasive action, firing their lasers at the soldiers that attempted to climb their legs.
Both missiles from the shoulder-mounted launchers struck the Awesome, jarring Jasper from the left, then right. Neither missile did appreciable damage. He didn’t fire. Instead, he watched his sensors and the battlefield, looking to see if the enemy had held anything in reserve.
They had.
While enemy infantry screamed and died around them, a small hovertank came to life on Jasper’s sensors. He radioed Delany, “Incoming hovertank. I’ll take it out.”
“Do it, Roux.”
That was all the urging he needed. Already his Streak SRMs calculated their launch path. As soon as his crosshairs went green, he fired. One volley from each launcher as he kept in mind how limited his physical ammunition was.
Every single missile struck true. The light hovertank shuddered to a violent, braking stop.
Jasper stomped through the battle and into the forest, getting the hovertank in sight. It must’ve already been damaged and out, or almost out of, ammo. The vehicle burned as shadows of the enemy flailed about. Shoving the image of the enemy soldier’s face away, he turned his medium pulse laser on the hovertank’s windshield and finished what his missiles had started.
Another burst from the Rifleman’s rotary autocannons heralded the revelation of a second combat vehicle. It exploded even as Jasper scanned his sensors to discover the wreckage of an armored combat car with a turret-mounted weapon that was no longer viable.
Shaking his head, he couldn’t understand why the enemy would attack such a well-armored convoy. He didn’t join in as the Commando, Locust, and a dozen Ritza Academy cadets made short work of the enemy soldiers. Instead, he remained on sentry, looking for something to explain the senselessness of it all.
Fynn’s voice came over the radio. “We have them. Permission to clean up?”
Delany paused before asking, “What do you mean when you say ‘clean up’?”
“Make sure the downed are dead and that nothing will come after us from the rear.”
“Permission granted. You have fifteen minutes. In the meantime, Ufford and Roux, clear the rest of that barrier away. Bohemain, take sentry.”
Jasper frowned at that. He quickly typed his concern to Delany:
Her answer was swift and brutal.
He wanted to argue, but he didn’t have anything to fight with. Every word she said was true. After a moment, he typed,
She didn’t respond.
Jasper didn’t want to think about his classmates getting out of their vehicles to hunt down and execute the enemy soldiers. With Delany’s perspective in mind, however, he knew it had to be done. They didn’t have the manpower or resources to take anyone prisoner, much less keep them in a safe place where they couldn’t hurt anyone else.
The worst thing in the world could be failing to get to the Ritzas or the evac point because they hadn’t done their due diligence. The only thing worse than being ambushed by enemy soldiers was losing track of the survivors. But, again, he didn’t want to think about how up close and personal it all was.
“Roux, do a shuffle through the middle of it. See how much that assault ’Mech of yours can move out of the way.”
Thankful for the request, he radioed back, “Roger that, Commando.”
He approached the barrier at a slow pace. If the thing had been rigged to blow, it would’ve happened when Delany fired on it. Dragging his ’Mech’s feet, he pushed through the wooden debris. Most of it moved without hesitation. As he did, the Commando used its grasping hands to pull the bigger pieces off to the sides. Within minutes, the road was clear enough for the convoy to continue.
As he reported in to Delany, he saw the infantry cadets moving through the cars and trees, taking measured shots at enemy soldiers who stopped moving. It was a kindness to the enemy. Rather than allowing them to linger, wounded and in pain, the cadets ended that pain at the same time they removed any threat of the enemy following.
Still, Jasper knew he was going to be haunted by this—and that face—for years to come.
His comms came to life again as Delany commanded, “Lance, report in.”
“Road cleared. Commando undamaged,” Ruby said.
“Road cleared. Awesome sustained negligible damage,” Jasper radioed.
“On sentry. All clear. Catapult undamaged.”
Michael rounded it out. “Locust, on patrol, all clear. Undamaged.”
“Good,” Delany said. “Fynn. Status?”
“Cleanup almost done. One vehicle needs a tire change. Ten minutes max.”
“Acknowledged. Wrap it up as fast as you can.”
Jasper knew Delany felt antsy. He could hear it in her voice. He felt it, too, like things were coming to a head. Scanning his sensors again, he looked for an enemy he expected, but didn’t find.
The orbital channel beeped at him.
It must have beeped at all of them, because Delany said, “Roux, answer that. Then get back to me on what it is.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jasper flipped his comm channels and completed the connection with the Endeavor’s Run. “This is Cadet Roux.”
“Fancy that. This is also Cadet Roux.”
Two conflicting emotions immediately collided: pleasure at hearing his sister alive and well, and worry that she was calling him. A thousand things cascaded through his mind at what could’ve gone wrong. First and foremost was her telling him the DropShip wasn’t coming.
“Nadine! Anything wrong?”
“No. Nothing like that. But there’s a change in our plans.”
He would’ve put his face in his hands if he hadn’t been wearing the neurohelmet. “Okay…?”
“Who has the radio?”
“Pascal Cole and Hugh Salter are manning it.”
“Right. We shouldn’t have to use it again, but it’s good to know where it is. How’s the convoy?”
Jasper looked around at the death and destruction then lied, “You caught us at a brief break. About halfway there. Another one and a half to two hours. Assuming nothing goes wrong. Then we’ll gather up the Ritzas. Why?”
“Well, it looks like you’re gonna have two more people to pick up.”
“Who? Where? When?” He tried to keep his voice neutral, but he didn’t like changes in the middle of an operation. Of course, there were always changes. That was the nature of the beast. It didn’t mean he had to like it.
“Me and Lyric.”
Jasper blinked a couple of times. Again, too many questions crowded in a train wreck of emotions—none of which he could express. Part of him hoped he’d misunderstood what she’d just said. “Please repeat that.”
She sighed and said, “Lyric and I are going to meet you at the Ritzas’ rendezvous point—assuming all goes well. We’re returning to the planet in an escape pod. If we don’t land near enough to make it there on foot, we’ll need a pickup. We have communications and will be able to stay in touch with you.”
“Is…is that wise?”
“Love you too, bro.”
Irritation warred with worry. “No. I mean, you haven’t been exposed to the virus here. People are sick and dying. Elias…” He stopped, unable to continue.
“It may not be wise, but it’s necessary. We’re carrying a vaccine for the virus.” She paused. “We’re also testing it.”
There were ten thousand things he could say to that—none of them complimentary. However, he knew his sister. If she was doing this to test the vaccine, she was doing it to see if she could help save the planet and the Ritza family. He smiled so she could hear it in his voice even if it was strained. “Throwing yourself into danger for the good of all, yeah?”
“Yeah. Just like you. What a pair we make.” He could hear her returned smile. “Heroism must be in our DNA. Or something like that.”
“All right. You’re planning to land near the t-intersection in a couple of hours. How long from launch to touchdown?”
There was a pause. “Not that long. It depends on our location, the planet’s rotation, and such. Guesstimate? Less than an hour.”
“I shouldn’t ask this but, out of morbid curiosity, how are you going to steer the escape pod?”
“I’m not. The Endeavor’s Run is going to program in the landing spot. We’ll get there, or near to it in the grand scheme of things.”
Jasper thought about that. “All right. Do I keep the vaccine a secret?”
“Ah. Tell your commanding officer? I mean, it’s not secret, but it’s extremely limited, and we don’t even know if it works. I mean…you’re not sick, are you?”
“No.”
“So…yeah.”
The Rifleman walked over to him until he could see Delany through the ’Mech’s canopy. She tapped her wrist. He gave her an exaggerated nod.
“Okay. So, you’re going to land near the rendezvous site in about an hour. You’re going to ping me when you launch, then comm me when you land. Is that right?”
“Yeah. It is.”
“Anything else I need to know?”
“Yeah. Love you, Jasper. Let’s hope all this works.”
Jasper’s heart cracked into several thousand pieces. How many times was he going to tell her goodbye and honestly believe it was probably for the last time? “Love you, Nadine. You make it work. I’ll see you soon. That’s an order.”
“I’ll do my best. I promise.”
Jasper grimaced, then remembered Delany was watching him through the faceplate. He didn’t want her to worry. “Me, too. Over and out.”
In his mind’s eye, he could see his sister with a brave smile on her face and fear hidden in her eyes. It was a look he often saw a long time ago. Now he could feel it mirrored on his own face. The more things change, the more they stayed the same.
Shifting his radio over to the private channel he and Delany shared, he said. “Well, I’ve got some good news and some other news. I won’t call it bad news, but it’s going to change a couple of things for me as we get close to the t-intersection…if you allow it.”
“We’ll burn that bridge when we come to it. Let’s talk on the road.”
24
OKINAWA-CLASS DROPSHIP ENDEAVOR’S RUN
LOW ORBIT, EMPORIA
FEDERATED SUNS
18 APRIL 3150
OPERATION BARBICAN, T-MINUS 10 HOURS
